~ Rose ~

I don’t see him come in. I only feel the air shift like the room has gone ten degrees hotter in an instant.

There’s only one man I’ve ever known who could fill a room just by existing.

Too tall for any doorway, shoulders so broad they block out light, and a scent that always made me forget my name: smoke, amber, and everything I was never supposed to want.

I’m adjusting the display of silk scarves near the front window when the bell above the door tinkles. I keep my head down, my back to the door, even though something inside me pulls tight.

“Morning, Rosie.”...